Centrifugal separator



Oct. 21 1924.

H. D. HELLMERS CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATOR Dril 10 CII Patented @et 251, 1924i.

UNITED STATES islaam PATENT orifice.

HENRY D. HELLMERS, OF LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, ASSGNOR T0 WEST END CHEMICAL COMPANY, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, A COREORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATOR.

Application mea April 1o`, 192s. serial No. caries.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known thatV I, HENRY D. HELLMERS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Las Vegas, county of Clark, State of Nevada, have invented a new and useful Centrifugal Separator, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to centrifugal separators and has particular reference to a separator adapted to be used for separating lighter particles of a material from the heavier particles. More particularly it is proposed to use the device described in the present application in a novel process for separating calcined colemanite from clay and other impurities which latter process is more particularly described in my copending application, Serial No. 631,139 led April 10, 1923. The principal advantages of my device will appear from the description of the same.

The preferred form of my device is illustra-ted in the accompanying drawing 1n which Figure 1 shows a vertical section through my device and Figure 2 a vertical section through a portion of a modified form of the device. vWhile I have shown only the preferred forms of the invention it should be understood that various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the claims hereto attached Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In its preferred form my device comprises a cylindrical housing 1) having a Slanting bottom (2) and an outlet port (3) at its lowest point. The top of the housing is closed by any suitable means such as the lid (il) having the flanges (5) engaging the upper margin of the housing. In the lid is supported, in central relation toi the same, a hopper (6) through which the material separated may be fed on a disc (7) provided on the vertical shaft (8) supported in the bearing (9). The shaft (8) may be rotated by any suitable means not shown in the drawing.

Underneath the disc and in central relation to the housing I provide a funnel shaped vessel (11) supported on brackets (12) extending downwardly from the lid 4E A( s econd funnel shaped vessel (13) of somewhat larger dimensions is disposed in @alvast/ri@ relaties t9 the tra vessel and,

is supported on brackets (14) extendingfrom the side of the housing. rllhe second vessel is sufliciently larger than the first one to leave ample space between the two as shown at (16). 1t should be noted that the top of the vessel (11) is of considerably larger diameter than the disc (7) while the top of the vessel the top of the vessel (11) but surrounds only the lower portion of the latter vessel. The housing (1) which is preferably made airtight as nearly as possible in other respects is provided with a plurality of Vapertures (17) in operative proximity to the upper ends of the two vessels. The lower vessel (13) terminates at the bottom in a pipe (18) extending through the slanting bottom (2) of the cylinder and turning as shown at (19) to communicate with a fan (21) adapted to be driven by any suitable means through the pulley (22). The upper vessel 11) may either be cut as shown at (24) in the form of Figure 2 or it may communicate with an inner pipe (26) extending through the pipe (18) in the manner shown in Figure 1.

The operation of my separator may be explained as follows: Thelmaterial to be separated is fed through the hopper (6) on the central portion of the disc (7). When the latter, is rotated the material is discharged peripherally by centrifugal force and the heavier particles will naturally be thrown further than the lighter particles which it is the object of the present invention to separate from the heavier particles. All the lighter particles dropping within a limited circular area around the axis of the disc will be received by the inner vessel (11) while the heavier particles will be thrown beyond the reach of the said vessel. of the latter' particles are allowed to drop to the bottom of the housing and to be discharged through the outlet (3). The vessel (13) however being of slightly larger circumference than the vessel (11) will catch a certain number of the heavier particles, that is those which stay nearest the outlines of the upper vessel. At the same time the fan is set in motion and suction is created within the housing causing a draft from the apertures (17) into the second vessel (13),

'which draft passes through the rain of heavier particles dropping outside of the (13) is slightly larger than Most u l ripper vessel (1l). It will be understood that of those heavier particles the lighter ones will remain in close proximity to the outlines of the two vessels while the heaviest particles are thrown further outwardly. It should also be understood that a given draft will have more power to deflect lighter particles from their natural course than heavier particles. As a result the draft will cause the lighter ones of the heavier particles dropping` outside of the two vessels when following the natural course toi be drawn into the second vessel.

If the device is constructed as shown in Figure 2 the lighter particles received in the vessel (11) will miX with the somewhat heavier particles drawn into the vessel (13) but when the modified form of Figure l is used the 'contents of the two vessels may be kept separate. If this is done the particles delivered from the upper vessel 1l) through the pipe (26) will be purer and of higher Vgrade than the material discharged through the second vessel (13).

I claim: Y l. In a device of the character described, two funnel-shaped vessels telescoped into one another so as to leave space between the same the inner vessel bein-g above the outer vessel, centrifugal means for periph- Verally discharging material to be separated above Vthe same allowing lighter particles to dropy into the -upper vessel while throwing heavier particles beyond its reach, a housing surrounding the vessels Vhaving apertures through its wall arranged around the top of the inner vessel and suction means for creating a steady draft from the apertures into the lower vessel adapted to draw the lighter ones of the heavier particles into the lower vessel.

2. A separator for separating light particles from heavier particles comprising an inner receiving vessel, a second receiving vessel of larger dimensions surrounding the -lower portion of the inner vessel, a cylindrical housing surrounding both vessels having apertures arranged above the top of the second receiving vessel and below the top of the inner vessel, a disc of smaller dimensions than the inner vessel mounted over the same, means for feeding material to loe separated on the central portion of the disc, means for rotating the latter whereby the material is discharged cireumferentially allowing the lighter particles to drop into the inner receiving vessel while the heavier particles are thrown beyond the reach of the same, and means for creating a steady draft from the apertures into the second receiving vessel whereby the lighter ones of the heavier particles are drawn into the second vessel.

3. In a device of the character described, two funnel-shaped vessels telescoped into one another so as to leave space between the same, centrifugal means for peripherally discharging material to be separated above the same allowing lighter particles to drop into the upper vessel while throwing heavier particles beyond its reach, a housing surrounding the vessels having slots through its wall space therearouinl and extending from above the inner vessel to a point below its rim and terminating above the rim of the lower vessel.

HENRY D. HELLMERS. 

